I want a pet : Adoption Success Stories
Submit your happy ending story to humane@seattlehumane.org! You may see it on this page or published in our quarterly magazine, Chronicles!
Diamond Becomes a Gem
Diamond was surrendered to the Seattle Humane Society when her family moved away. She was fearful of other cats and people and she would swat when approached.
Our team determined that Diamond was undersocialized and she just needed a little extra time and interaction with people—a kitty finishing school! After our veterinarians spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated Diamond, our behavior team placed her in a volunteer foster home with a family who used clicker training and positive reinforcement to work with her. Diamond’s foster parents and their two sons socialized her and taught her to come when called, to let people pick her up, and to play nicely with other cats.
One of the young boys said Diamond has learned to be a very nice kitty. “Now she’s the best! She’s really fun!” Thanks to Seattle Humane Society’s Foster Care Program, Diamond is no longer fearful and was adopted by a caring woman who snuggles her gem of a kitty every day.
A Golden Smile
Calico, a 1-year-old Golden Retriever mix, was roaming the streets trying to fend for herself when she was brought to Seattle Humane Society. Our assessment team learned that although Calico was playful and affectionate, she guarded her food and needed some extra training to ensure that she would thrive in a new home.
At Seattle Humane we do everything we can to make sure our pets are healthy, adoptable, and ready to succeed. Sometimes that means re-training if we discover behavioral issues. After Calico was spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated, we temporarily placed her with a volunteer foster family who had been trained to work with “food guarding.”
With a little extra time and training, Calico made rapid progress and she was adopted by a kind and patient family. Her adopters write, “Callie is doing very well with her food guarding. We work with her at every meal. Thank you so much for all of your help!”
Henry, now a 1-year-old Jack Russell Terrier mix, was found wandering the streets trying to fend for himself when he was barely 6 months old. A Renton Animal Control officer brought Henry to the Seattle Humane Society where he received a warm, safe kennel, plenty of food, and affection. Our veterinarians neutered, microchipped and vaccinated Henry and our adoption counselors set out to find him a home of his own. Now Henry will never have to be alone again! He is part of a big family full of love and three other furry family members. His adopters write, "We love Henry and he is doing great!"
Figaro’s Story
Figaro, a 15-year-old kitty, was surrendered to the Seattle Humane Society when his owners were moving and could not take him with them. Our veterinarian neutered, microchipped and vaccinated Figaro and found that he is a very healthy older cat. Some shelters don’t consider pets over the age of 3 adoptable, but we knew that Figaro deserved a warm and loving home as much as any kitten.
When searching for a home for harder to place animals, we work closely with other rescue groups in our community. Through one of our partner cat rescue groups, we met a woman named Rusty living in a retirement facility looking to adopt a cat, and thought Figaro might be the perfect match!
Because Rusty was not well enough to come meet Figaro at the shelter, we worked with the rescue group to help facilitate the adoption and brought Figaro to her. The minute the two locked eyes, Rusty said “Oh, I DO want him! I do!” The two were instant best friends and she adopted Figaro on the spot. He now spends his days spoiled with lap naps and Fancy Feast!
Bruno’s Before & After
Bruno, a 5-year-old Chow Chow mix, was surrendered to the Seattle Humane Society because his owners could not give him the care he deserved. He was severely matted and filthy. Despite his appearance, we knew that Bruno was a good dog who deserved a chance.
Weighing in at nearly 90 pounds, grooming Bruno was no small task! We carefully shaved off his painful mats and gave him a much needed bath. When we could finally see Bruno’s handsome face and shining eyes, we knew he would not be at the shelter long. He was adopted by a wonderful family less than one month later.
Bruno’s new family wrote, “Bruno’s lost 10 pounds and he’ll walk up to a half mile now. Bruno has a big blue dog bed that he picked out at the store. He’s become very social and loves giving/receiving affection. Thank you so much for taking such good care of him.”
Hana’s Story
Hana (formerly Raven), a 1-year-old Chihuahua mix, was transferred to the Seattle Humane Society from a public shelter where she ran out of time. We spayed, microchipped and vaccinated her and set out to find her a loving family. Hana’s new family writes, “We gave Raven a new name, Hana, from our family name. We are really happy with her, especially my two daughters. They like to take care of Hana so much… Hana has many new things and is doing really good and learning a new language, Japanese!”